BRITISH ANTARCTIC RELIEF EXPEDITION

Log of midshipman A. N. ["Neville"] Pepper, titled on the flyleaf "National Antarctic Relief Ship/S.Y. Morning/from London, Madeira, Lyttleton N.Z. & the Antarctic", 9 July 1902 to 26 March 1903 and 24 October 1903 to 17 October 1904

Footnotes

'CAPT. SCOTT SAYS NO MAN WILL REACH THE POLE AS AN IMPENETRABLE RANGE OF MOUNTAINS ARE IN THE WAY': a first-hand account of the two relief voyages undertaken by the Morning to rescue the beleaguered Discovery, written by a young midshipman, Neville Pepper, who celebrated his 19th and 20th birthdays at sea; 'A name that was familiar to Markham... the son of Captain Colbeck's old captain on the Montevallo... Although seen by Doorly as "a little soft", Pepper seems to have accomplished his work' (T.H. Baughman Pilgrims on the Ice, 1999).

Amongst the expected daily observations are Pepper's more personal comments on life aboard ship, such as on food ("flying fish for breakfast, lovely..."), entertainments ("Captain Scott arrived this evening... all hands had a sing-song...") and encounters with the local wildlife - the crew look after several young penguins and feed them with "bovril poured down their beaks... if you call then they will come to you..."; another penguin is not so fortunate – "We caught an Emperor Penguin & killed it by Prussic Acid after taking its photograph...".

In his account of the first voyage he describes being part of the landing party that named Markham Island (later Scott Island) on Christmas Day 1903. In the New Year he landed at Cape Adair, retrieving items left by the Discovery and on Possession Island found the "record left by Southern Cross... placed in a Pioneer tobacco tin"; Franklin Island was sighted on the 14th, Cape Crozier on the 17th where a landing party "signalled that the Discovery had wintered in Mc Mullans bay, 90 miles from here", and by the 23rd, amidst great excitement, the crew held a sweepstake as to who will see the ship first ("A party of 12 men & 2 sledges arrived from the Discovery. We gave them a good feed" [including his own 'cake' consisting of jam, crushed biscuits and condensed milk]). On 3rd February he notes Captain Scott's return from a sledging expedition ("he lost all his dogs & had to pull the sledges... Dr Wilson & Lieut Shackleton were with him... Capt. Scott says no man will reach the Pole as an impenetrable range of mountains are in the way..."). There follow descriptions of attempts to free the ship, transporting stores and coal on sledges to the Discovery and finally getting underway on the return journey to Lyttleton.

A similar account follows for the second voyage on which the Morning is now joined by the Terra Nova. On 23rd January he writes "This day a year ago we saw the Discoverys masts for the first time, but were nearly six miles closer. It is blowing a strong gale, the ice cracking rapidly...". Pepper describes an expedition to North Island off Cape Royds, and includes a plan of their hut. After several attempts to blast the Discovery out of the ice, by 16th February it was free and all three ships returned together ("We had done our bit, relieved the Discovery the 1st time and got her out the second time"), with Pepper by the end evidently relieved to be "safe again in Old England after 2 & a ½ years of Hard & Dangerous work...".